Page 17 of The Billionaire's Wife (An Heir At Any Price 2)

As soon as I opened the door, I knew that wasn’t the case. She had a strange look on her face, as if she were trying to look surprised that it was my door she’d knocked on. She wasn’t quite pulling it off.

“Hi,” she said. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked down next to her. I saw that she had a little boy with her. He looked to be around six or seven.

“Hi?” I said making sure to emphasize it was more of a question than a greeting. One that asked what she was doing ringing my doorbell and then acting surprised that it was me when I answered the door.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said with another fake smile. “Wow! This is a strange coincidence isn’t it?”

“Yeah, strange,” I said. “Is there something I can do for you?” I asked her, not interested in playing any silly games. I wasn’t trying to hide my annoyance with her either. I still had a bone to pick with her for spilling coffee on my baby and then lecturing me about how I should be caring for him.

“I was looking for Aiden,” she said, surprising me.

“Why would you be looking for Aiden?” I asked her, confused. How did some stranger I’d met because she tripped over my table at the café know my husband?

Instead of answering the question, she said, “Oh my goodness, you must be Aiden’s wife, Holly.”

“Yes, and you still haven’t told me who you are, or what you want with my husband,” I said. I hadn’t meant for that to come out sounding so territorial. There was something about this woman that I just really didn’t like. I didn’t want her to think she was getting to me though because somehow I thought that’s what she was looking to do. The fact that she burnt Eric and didn’t seem sorry about it was also making me intensely dislike her.

“Oh goodness, I’m sorry. I’m Cecile, Aiden’s ex-wife. This is Mark, Aiden’s other son.”

I looked at the shy little boy, hiding behind his mother’s leg. I really wished that he couldn’t hear me, because I wanted to tell her that I knew he wasn’t Aiden’s son. None of that was his fault though and I for one was not interested in harming a child. Instead I smiled at him and then looked back at her.

“Why are you looking for Aiden? You know how to get ahold of him at his office, I’m sure. Why didn’t you just call him instead of showing up on our doorstep?”

She smiled a patronizing kind of smile but before she could speak, Eric screamed behind me. I turned to go to him and saw that he had just dropped his binky. I bent down to pick it up and I heard the front door close. When I turned around, Cecile and Mark were standing inside and she was pulling off his coat.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I don’t recall inviting you in.” It was hard, but I was still trying to keep my tone even and calm so as not to upset the little boy.

“Oh, well since you left your child unattended…again, I didn’t want to interrupt you to ask.”

“I beg your pardon? I did not leave my child unattended. I would have been right here with him if you weren’t ringing my doorbell. I’m not sure who you think you are. How dare you come into my home and start slinging insults at me?” I don’t believe I’d ever met anyone who could make me so angry.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult, sweetie. It was just more of an…observation. Mark, why don’t you go watch some television, honey? Right through that door baby and it will be the first door on your left. Unless Holly has changed things?”

I know it was silly, but it made me furious that this woman knew where our television was. I was having the place re-decorated as soon as she left. Really, who did she think she was? I waited until the little boy had gone and then I said, “I really don’t know what you think you’re doing, but Aiden won’t be happy to come home and find that you’ve barged your way in here. He’s really not going to be happy to find out you were the one who burnt his son.”

She smirked and said, “Aiden said it was fine for us to come by any time, if we needed anything. Mark goes to private school, and I’m in the middle of a messy divorce. I don’t have the funds to pay for his tuition this month, I’m a little strapped for cash. I knew Aiden would want to help. I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to use the Amex card for the school tuition or not. As far as “burning his son,” I think Aiden is a little more annoyed with you about that. It was your job to look after him, wasn’t it?”

---